Today in history

Uploaded 09/11/2008

Sep 11 1973

With the blessing of Henry Kissinger and the CIA, general Augusto Pinochet stages a violent coup in Chile, overthrowing the government of Salvador Allende, the country's democratically-elected but nonetheless Marxist president.

Sep 11 1978

Janet Parker, a medical photographer, is the final victim of smallpox. It is likely she contracted the disease at Birmingham University's medical lab, an accident while working on an unrelated project.

Sep 11 1987

Upset over delays due to live coverage of a pro tennis match, television anchorman Dan Rather walks off the set of the CBS Evening News. When the sports program ends unexpectedly, Rather is nowhere to be found. The network feed goes dark for six whole minutes before Dan can be persuaded to return.

Sep 11 1987

Actor Lorne Greene, star of television's Bonanza and Battlestar Galactica, dies of pneumonia in Santa Monica, California. Greene, whose credits also include 1986's Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter, was 504 in dog years.

Sep 11 1991

Boxer Mike Tyson is arrested for raping Desiree Washington in an Indianapolis hotel room. After his conviction and three years spent behind bars, Tyson continues to maintain his innocence, telling one reporter: "I just hate her guts... I really wish I did now... now I really do want to rape her."

Sep 11 2001

The single largest terrorist attack in history occurs when four commercial jetliners are hijacked, two of which slam into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Another plane is crashed into the Pentagon. 2,915 people are killed in the attacks, coordinated by Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden. The civilized world is horrified; especially after seeing footage of Palestinians celebrating in the streets.

THE MONEY SHOT

For the first time in U.S. history, all flights are grounded throughout the country. All major government facilities are evacuated as well as many local facilities. The federal government uses this sneak attack as a pretext to crack down on civil liberties, in the form of the USA PATRIOT Act and similar efforts, which continue to this day. [We told you so.]